Boyle



(No Model.)

J. J. BOYLE.

REDUCING VALVE.

No. 363,422. Patented May 24, 1887.

w.m ua m r r u w v a a g O 0 1 0 r fl M 2 1. w LN 2 V M M, Li Mr z H. w 4 .90 W lmx L 2W m z Z 0 w NiTn Sr rEs JOHN JAMES BOYLE, OE MANCHESTER, COUNTY OF LANCASTER,

ENGLAND.

REDUCING-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 15103633122, dated May 241-, 1887.

Application filed July 30, 1886. Serial No. 209,560. (No model.)

Patented in England December 30. 1882, No. 6,231; in Germany May 23,1883, No. 24,839; in France June 27,188, No. 156,269, and in Belgium June 28, 1883, No. 61,861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN J AMES BOYLE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Red ucing-Valves, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain and Ireland, N 0. 6,231, dated December 30, 1882; in France, No. 156,269, dated June 27, 1883; in Belgium, No. 61,861, dated June 28, 1883, and in Germany, No. 24, 839, dated May 28, 1883,) of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the construction of reducing-valves for regulating the flow of fluids or liquids at reduced pressures.

The special objects of this invention are to render such apparatus extremely sensitive in its act-ion, not liable to stick in its working parts, and free from springs and mercury, which have been found to have serious defects in practice; also, and more particularly, to fully utilize the highly sensitive and reliable character of a dead-weight valve for operating mechanism which shall effectively con trol the regulating-valve, or main valve, as it is hereinafter termed, so as to obtain the re duced pressure desired.

Said invention consists in certain peculiar combinations of parts, hereinafter set forth and claimed, whereby said objects are accomplished.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical section of a reducing-valve, illustrating the main features of this invention; and Fig. 2 isa plan view thereof, partly in section on the 1ine2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of another apparatus constructed according to the same invention andillustrating certain preferred and optional modifications; and Fig. 4 is a plan will be described as so applied. form thereof a main valve, a, which is preferably a balanced or nearly balanced puppet valve, as shown, is actuated through the medium of a lever, b,within the reduced-pressure chamber X in the base of the apparatus by a rising and falling bell-shaped float, c, or a piston, c, as a substitute for the latter,within a steam jacketed chamber. The latter is formed within a suitable casing, d, by a lining, e or a, steam being admitted into the space between the same by means of a pipe, f, or an equivalent connection, f. Steam is admitted within or against said float or piston from the reduced-pressure chamber by a tube, f or an opening, f and the float or piston is connected by a depending rod, g, and a shackle, g, with said lever b of the main valve 1, and said steam passes to an escape-valve, h or h, through passage-Ways i 76. The leakage through said passage-way '5 permits the float or piston to gravitate so as to open the valve a through said connections 9 g I), and the escape-valve h or h is weighted so as to remain closed until the required pressure is exceeded. Steam entering now at I flows past the valve a through the redueed-pressure chamber X and outlet 0, and at the same time, through the medium of said tube or openingf orf and passage-ways i k, fills the space within or below the float or piston c or c, and also the space between the latter and the escape-valve h or h. At the same time the jacketingspace between the casing d and lining c or dis filled through said pipe or connection f or f, and the steam within said lining is thus protected against excessive condensation. WVhen the steam within said outlet 0, chamber X, &c., exceeds the proper reduced pressure, it begins to escape through said valve h or h and larger passage-way Is. As soon as this escape exceeds the leakage through the passage-way z, the float or piston begins to rise and close the main valve a. The upward movement of the float or piston continues until the supply of highpressure steam by the main valve a is so far diminished that the escape of steam at h or h just equals the leakage at 2, when the float or piston remains stationary. From this it will be obvious that the slightest variation in the reduced pressure affecting the escape-valve 71. or h will cause the float or piston c or 0 to In each move either up or down, and so alter the opening of the main valve a and adjust it to the altered condition of the reduced-pressure steam. In thepreferred construction represented by Figs. 1 to 4 said valve h is a dead-weight escape-valve, provided with annular weights to, concentric therewith. These are accommo dated by a saddle, o, with-which the valve proper is provided, so as to locate them below its plane and balance them relatively to the valve-face, which is, moreover, made hemispherical, so as to preclude binding. The float c in each of these apparatus, having a simple and frictionless water seal, serves, furthermore, to insure sensitiveness; and said lining e in each of these apparatus is hellshaped and held in place within the neck that leads to the escape-valve by a screw-bushing, a, as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 3, so as to effectively extend the steam jacket above the float, While it may be conveniently made in this style of sheet-copper like the float. An overflow-hole, t, in each apparatus provides for the discharge of surplus water from the float-chamber. In the arrangement represented by Figs. 1 and 2 said hole t is formed in the steam-tube j" and discharges into the chamber X. In the arrangement represented by Figs. 3 and 4 it is formed in the outer casing, d, and provided with a screw plug, 1). In said arrangement represented by Figs. 3 and 4 a dome, 2, extends the chamberX upward within the water-space of the apparatus, so as to afford a higher support forthe steam-tubefand as an additional aid against condensation; and the casing d is provided with a ci'ownfiange,

1 which provides for inclosing the escapevalve Within a domecover, 00, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

For marine purposes, where oscillation would prevent the use of an inverted or bell'fioat working in water, Isubstitute the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, comprising a piston or disk, a, loosely fitted within the steam-jacket lining 6, so as to form said passageway t around it, to permit the steam toescape past the disk in sufficient quantity to insure the requisite falling action. In place of the dead weight escape-Valve, I employ in this arrangement a spring safety valve, h, with its spring 8 ad justed by a set-screw, 1-, and its casing q pro vided with a suitable outlet, 0. It will thus. be seen that-the loosely-fitting disk 0 is in action the mechanical equivalent of the inverted float c. I have found in practice that the same may be made to fit very loosely in the cylinder if of moderate diameter, so as to avoid all possibility of sticking.

Although I prefer to employ an intermediate lever, b, between the disk 0 and the valve a, I would here observe that this is not essential, as by having the valve in equilibrium the disk might be situated immediately over the valve, and, instead of a disk, a diaphragm might be substituted by having the passage wayi formed between one side of such diaphragm and the other, to impart the necessary falling action, like the hole 1' in Figs. 1 and 3.

It will be observed that the inlet and outlet connections shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and in Fig.5 are adapted for wrought-iron pipes, and those shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are adapted for cast-iron pipes. Each may obviously be used on either form of the apparatus, and other like mechanical details may be varied by makers without departing from the object, means, and mode of operation hcrei'nbefore set forth.

Having thus described my said improve- V ment 'in reducing-valves, I claim as my in vention and desire to patent under this specification- 1. In arcducing-valve for'steam apparatus, a steam-jacket, in combination with the chamber in which its inlet-controlling bellfloat piston or diaphragm works, substantially as herein specified.

2; The combination, with the outer casing of'a reducing-valve, of a depending lining surrounding its bell-float piston or diaphragm and a connection admitting steam to the space surroundingsaidlini'ng, substantially as herein specified.

3. The combination, in a reducing-valve, of

let and connected with said float and main valve, substantially as herein specified.

' 5. The combination, in a reducing-valve, ot' a reduced-pressure chamber in the base of the apparatus, a water and steam chamber above the same, and a dome extending said reducedpressure chamber upward withinthe water space, substantially as herein specified.

6. The combination, in a reducing-valve, of an escape-valve at the top of the apparatus, a water and steam chamber immediately beneath the same, a bellshaped liningdepending from a bushing-within the neck which leads to the escape-valve, a bell-float working concentrically within said lining and pro vided with a contracted passage-wayfor escape-steam, and connections admitting steam within the steam-jacket and float, respectively, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, JOHN JAMES BOYLE.

Witnesses: 5

JOHN G. WILsoN, JOHN SLATER. 

